Electric signal system



' Sept. 8, 1931. F. H. RICHTERKESSING ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM Original Filed March 24. 1928 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES rnnivx H. RICHTERKESSING, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AssIGNon TO GHEATHAM ELECTRIC SWITCHING DEvICnCo. AND NACHo AND UNITED s'rnrns SIGNAL co.

BOTH F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY ELECTRIC SIGNAL. SYSTEM Original application filed March 24, 1928, S rial No. 264,439, now Patent No. 1,783,308, dated December .2, 1930. Divided and this application filed October 2, 1930. Serial No. 486,024.

This is a divisional application from applicants case, Serial No. 264,439, filed March 24th, 1928 which has matured into Patent No. 1,783,308, dated December 2, 1930. The invention relates to a signal system, automatically operable by a moving electric railway car, for displaying .to vehicular traffic the movement the approaching car is about to make.

The object of the invention is to provide a signalsystem arranged to display a system of signal indications when an electric railway. car is about to enter a curve section that intersects a highway accommodating the usual flow of vehicular trafiic.

The invention comprises the combination of overhead trolley contactors and, a suitable relay system controlling signal lamps for illuminating a descriptive sign, being hereinafter more fully described and disclosed in the drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a schematic drawing showing the arrangement of the parts and circuits when the system is in a normal condition, that is, prior to having been initially set into operation by the current collector of the moving car.-

Fig. 2 is a sectional drawing disclosing the novel construction of the normally closed trolley contactor employed to. initially set the system into operation. i

The system shown in Fig. 1 is primarily intended foruse at locations Where electric railway cars equipped with overhead current collectors make reversing movements, orv where they turn across highway intersections. In such cases, a current selective arrangement as disclosed in the parent application would not be required, as it would be necessary that all. cars operating within the zone atl'ect the display of the signal indications irrespective any control that may be affected from the car.

The relay Y which is the controlling relay of the system is equipped with an operating coil L and an armature A2. One coil terminal of the coil L of the relay Y is connected through wire 10 to the resistor 9, wire 8 to the ground G. The other terminal of coil L is connected through wire 11 to the contact strip 20 of the trolleycontactor R. The armature A2 of the relay Y is normally aliected by the energized coil L of relay Y and is raised into contact engagement with the front contact 13. When the coil L of.

relay Y is de-energized the armature A2 releases and makes contact engagement with the back .contact 14; of relay Y... The releasing of thearmature A2 closes the signal circuit, and the signal S is displayed. Thecircuit for the display of the signal indications being completed from the trolley conductor D, through wire D1, contact strip 24,;of trolley contactor Q, normally closed Contact 23 of the trolley contactor Q, wire D2, resistor 21, wire 22, armature A2, back contact 14 of relay Y, wire 15, lamp 16, wire 17,

lamp 18, wire 19 to theground G. The

at any time when the signal lamps are not burning. In this case an opaque glass is painted on the rear with the desired lettering and the lamps placed behind. In addition to the signal lamps 16 and 18 illuminating the opaque glass, they also display red color light signal indications.

The system shown in Fig. 1 alsocmbodles a very novel form of a trolley contactmg device. This deviceis represented by the charindicated in the sectional drawing shown in Fig. 2. I I I In Fig. 2 the letter D represents a trolley wire or current conductor. Positioned ad- 24A which are fiexiblyconnected to a rigid bracket U by flexible strip springs S1 and S2. The spacer blocks B and B1 are placed between the respective spring strips and the bracket U to provide the necessary clearance PATEN orrlcs acter Q, and the construction is very clearly go jacent the trolleyconductor are strips 2a and 1 for the various parts. hen the contaetor Q is not engaged by a current collector, the spring strips S1 and S2 make contact engagement with the contact piece 23 which is electrically connected to the wire D2 by the connecting bolt 23A and securing nuts M. The connecting bolt 28A is insulated from the metallic backbone 26 and bracket U by the insulating tube T. hen the cont-actor Q is engaged by current collector, the strips 24 and 2 1A are deflected and the flexible strips S1 and S2 are brought out of contact engagement with the contact piece 23 as represented by the dot-dash lines on the drawings.

In the system shown in Fig. 1 the signal controlling relay Y is normally energized, that is, its armature A2 is held in the raised position under the influence of the operating coil L by a normally closed circuit being established from the trolley conductor D through wire D1, contact strip 24 of the trolley contactor Q, contact 23, wire D2, re sister 21, wire 22, armature A2 of relay Y, front contact 13 of relay Y, wire 12, operating coil L of relay Y, wire 10, resistor 9,

wire 8 to the ground G. hen a current collector operates through the trolley contactor Q, the contact strip 2 1 is deflected, and the contact engagement between the stationary contact 23 and the contact strip 24 is opened, and remains so until the current collector IV has passed out of engagement with the trolley contactor Q. The opening of the contact 23 opens the normally closed stick circuit of relay Y and the armature A2 of the relay is released. The releasing of the armature A2 of relay Y will open the stick circuit completed through the contact engagement of the armature with the front contact 13, and the armature will remain in this released position. When the armature A2 is released it makes contact engagement with the back contact 14; of relay Y and a circuit is established feeding from the trolley conductor D, through wire D1, contact strip 24 of trolley contactor Q, contact 23 oi trolley contactor Q, wire D2, resistor 21, wire 22, armature A2 of relay Y, back contact let of relay Y, wire 15, lamp 16, wire 17, lamp 18, wire 19 to the ground G, and the signal indications are displayed as heretofore described to warn vehicular trailic of the movement which the railway car is about to make.

The railway car having completed its movement under the protection of the sig nal, passes a predetermined point wherein. the signal system is restored to normal, and the vehicular trallic is permitted to proceed. At this location a suitable trolley contactor R is located, which affects the restoring operation through the contact engagement of the current collector IV with the trolley con ductor D and its contact strip 20. The circuit for restoring the signal system to normal is completed from the trolley conductor D through the current collector W, contact strip 20 of the trolley contactor R, wire 11, coil L of relay Y, wire 10, resistor 9, wire 8 to the ground G. The completion of this circuit energized the coil L of relay Y and the armature A2 was raised into contact e11- gagement with the front contact 13 and out of contact engagement with the back contact 14. The restoring of the armature A2 into contact engagement with the "front contact 13 of relay Y re-established the stick circuit as heretofore described, and the system is retained in this normal condition until a following car operates under the trolley contactor Q.

To sum up the operation of this system, a railway car entering a Zone wherein it is necessary for the railway car to make a movement in conflict to the regular flow of the vehicular traffic, passes a trolley contactor and effects a control system for establishing a signal indication to warn the traffic of the operation that the car is about to make. After the railway car has completed the desired operation, it passes a certain predetermined point wherein the signal indications are restored to normal and the trafiic is permitted to proceed in its usual manner.

There are, of course, modifications and arrangements of the parts which may be made from that shown in the above disclosure and which will fall within the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. In an electrically operated signal system, comprising a source of current, a cur rent conductor, a current collector, contactors mounted on the said conductor having electrical circuits associated therewith, a plurality 01 signal lamps arranged to illuminate a sign, a normally energized relay, said relay arranged to connect the said lamps to the source of current when deenergized, one of said contactors having a member adapted to be engaged by the said current collector to open the circuit of the normally energized relay, and another contactor having a member adapted to be engaged by the said current collector to close the circuit of the said relay.

2. In an electrically operated signal system, comprising a source of current, a current conductor, a current collector, contactors mounted on the said conductor having electrical circuits associated therewith, signal lamps arranged to display a warning signal, a normally energized relay, said relay arranged to connect the said lamps to the source of current when de-energized, one of said contactors having a member adapted to be engaged by the said current collector to open the circuit of the normally energized relay, and another contactor having a member adapted to be engaged by the said current collector to close the circuit of the said relay.

3. In an electrically operated signal system, comprising a source of current, a current conductor, a current collector, contactors mounted on the said conductor having electrical circuits associated therewith, a relay having its operating coil normally connected in circuit with the current 0011- ductor thru one of the said contactors, said coil also arranged to be intermittently connected to the said current conductor thru another one of said contactors.

4. In an electrically operated signal system, comprising a source of current, a current conductor, a current collector, contactors mounted on the said conductor having electrical circuits associated therewith, a plurality of signal lamps arranged to illuminate a sign, a relay having its operating coil normally connected in circuit with the current conductor thru one of the said contactors, said coil also arranged to be intermittently connected to the said current conductor thru another one of said contactors, said relay also provided with an armature adapted to establish a circuit for retaining the said operating coil energized when in one position and for establishing a circuit to energize the said signal lamps when in another position.

5. In an electrically operated signal system, comprising a source of current, a current conductor, a current collector, contactors mounted on the said conductor having electrical ciruits associated therewith, a plurality of signal lamps arranged to illuminate a sign, a relay having its operating coil normally connected in circuit with the current conductor thru one of the said contactors, said coil also arranged to be intermittently connected to the said current conductor thru another one of said contactors, said relay also provided with an armature in circuit with the first mentioned contactor adapted to establish a circuit for retaining the said operating coil energized when in one position and for establishing a circuit to energize the said signal lamps when in another position.

In tesitmony whereof I allix my signature.

FRANK I-I. RICHTERKESSING. 

